Author Interview & Contest with Ashlyn Chase

February isn't over yet and I still have three more author guests left for this month!

Next up is author Ashlyn Chase who writes the amazingly funny paranormal series about some Strange Neighbors. Book #2, The Werewolf Upstairs, just came out this month and it was a delight to read.

So enjoy this interview with the author and make sure you enter the contest for your chance to win a copy of Ashlyn's latest relese!

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Amber - Hello Ashlyn! Welcome back to Amberkatze's Book Blog! It is great to have you back here as a guest again! The Werewolf Upstairs is finally here! What can we expect from the sequel to Strange Neighbors?

Ashlyn – Well, you’ll see more of the wacky characters you met in Strange Neighbors, and a few changes. Merry moved into the penthouse and her best friend Roz moved into her old apartment, 1B. Konrad (the werewolf) and Roz get together immediately and have a steamy romance. I had a hard time keeping these two out of bed!

Amber - I loved Strange Neighbors but will there be the same characters in The Werewolf Upstairs? Will we see Merry and Jason again?

Ashlyn – Merry and Jason are still in Florida when our story begins. They return from Spring Training and the story continues through the summer, so, yes, you’ll see them again. Roz saved her moving into the apartment building as a surprise for Merry, and Merry has a surprise for Roz.

Amber - Do people need to read Strange Neighbors to read The Werewolf Upstairs? Will this be a series?

Ashlyn – In my opinion it’s more enjoyable to read a series in order, but each book stands alone, so you don’t have to.

Amber - Both books have amazingly cute covers! Did you have any say in the choice of covers?

Ashlyn –I was allowed input, and the artist nailed my vision. It doesn’t always happen that way. I’m very, very happy with my covers.

Amber - Strange Neighbors and The Werewolf Upstairs are only two of many books you have written. What can you tell us about your other novels?

Ashlyn – I began by writing suspense, but soon transitioned into comedy. I love writing paranormal comedy with steamy love scenes. Most of my backlist is exactly that. I have a few contemporaries, but those are hot too. Most are with Ellora’s Cave, but I have a British publisher for two novellas. You can find all my books on my website.

Amber - Did you always wanted to be an author? Did you pick Romance or did it pick you? What about the paranormal aspect? Was it something you were always interested in?

Ashlyn – I guess I should have known I’d be an author early on, but I missed it. I loved creative writing in high school and kept a journal all through nursing school. When I needed a creative outlet, I began writing screenplays. There was always a romance involved, so I guess romance picked me.

Amber - Have you thought about expanding into other genres? If yes, which ones would you like to try?

Ashlyn – Let’s see, I tried writing young adult and couldn’t because I missed the sex. LOL. I’m not sure but maybe I’ll try a category romance sometime. Harlequin Blaze maybe. They allow a little humor in their contemporary stories.

Amber - What kind of research have you done for your books? Anything interesting or is the research boring?

Ashlyn – I find research interesting if it isn’t too difficult. I once wrote a story with a Rom (gypsy) hero and it was very hard to find information, because most of it is passed down through oral tradition. But I love to learn new things, so I interview people, look up factual information, pair known facts with my imagination to come up with a believable scenario.

Amber - How do you pick the names for your characters? Do they have any special meanings?

Ashlyn – Sometimes they just come to me. Other times I hold contests and let my readers come up with a name. Sometimes I consult a baby book and the name’s meaning might play into it, but rarely. I find it’s important to pay attention to the personality the name conjures up in my mind.

Amber - What comes next? Will we see more from the Strange Neighbors? Are there any other projects you are working on?

Ashlyn – The final book in the Strange Neighbors series is The Vampire Next Door. I don’t want to give a lot of hints yet. I’ll save that for later since it’s waiting for edits. Right now I’m working on two stories at once. One is a mainstream ghost comedy and the other is a hot tiger-shapeshifter comedy.

Amber - A lot of authors have 'soundtracks' for their books. Is there any music influenced your books?

Ashlyn – No. In order to write, I need silence or the white noise of my computer.

Amber - What have you been reading and watching lately?

Ashlyn –I got a new ereader for Christmas, so I’ve been reading a lot of my friend’s ebooks. I loved Paige Tyler’s Dead Sexy. Who could imagine a Zombie hero? LOL. It’s that kind of unexpected twist I love in a story.

Amber - If you could be any paranormal creature, what would you be and why?

Ashlyn – I think I’d like to be a shapeshifter. It would be fun just to wait for someone who’s drunk to come staggering along and then shift in front of them. LOL. It would probably sober them up fast.

Amber - Thank you so much for being a guest on Amberkatze's Book Blog! I hope you will come back again ;)






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Contest Time

Ashlyn has 2 copies of The Werewolf Upstairs to give away! (US and Canada only!)

How To Enter

Who would you like to have living upstairs from you?

No answer = No Entry

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The contest will stay open until Sunday 27th of February 2011 4pm CET and the winner will be picked by a randomizer. Entrants should check back to see if they have won. I do not hunt down winners and will pick new winners for any prizes not claimed within 7 days.